Grain separator and cleaner.



No. 639,117. Patented Dec. l2, m9.v

A. w. WALKER, Decd;

E. C. WALKER, Administratrix. GRAIN SEPARATUR AND CLEANER.

(Application filed Aug. 3, 1897.) No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 639,!17. Patented Dec. l2 I899 A. w. WALKER, Decd.

E. C. WALKER, Administratrix; GRAIN SEPARATOH AND CLEANER.

(Application filed Aug. 3, 1897.)

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STATES PATENT Eric ALBERT W. WALKER, or SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA; ELIZA o.WALKER, ADMINISTRATRIX or SAID ALBERT w. WALKER, DEcEAsED, ASSIGNOR TOoAMILLUse. LANIER, or WINsToN, NORTH oARoLINA.

GRAIN SEPARATOR AND CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,117, dated December12, 1899. Application filed August 8,1897. Serial No. 646,961. (Nomodel.)

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT W.-WALKER, of Salem, in the county of Forsythand State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain Separators and Cleaners; and I do hereby declarethe fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to grain separators and cleaners; and itconsists, essentially, of an inclined rotatable cylinder having aspecific internal construction and arrangement, together with a novelform of shoe and afan and operating mechanism.

The invention further consists of the details of construction andarrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Heretofore grain separators and cleaners have been used in which wasemployed a revolving cylinder, composed of a perforate cylinder of metalhaving a surrounding jacket of textile fabric, metallic plates, orleather, or a perforate cylinder having a surrounding coating of cementprotected by an outer jacket has also been used.- These devices havebeen more or less unsatisfactory in their use; and the object of thepresent invention is to overcome the disadvantages heretoforeencountered by simplifying the construction and arrangement of thecylinder, together with the attendant parts coacting therewith, andmaterially reducing the expense of manufacture as well as increase thefacility of separating and cleaning grain.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectionof a separator and cleaner embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a detailperspective View of the improved form of chute. Fig. 3 is a front endelevation of the machine, partially broken away. Fig. 4 is a transversevertical section of the machine. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view ofa portion of the cylinder, showing the interior construction andarrangement. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of a part of thedevice. Referring to the drawings, wherein similar numerals of referenceare employed to indicats corresponding parts in the several views, thenumeral 1 designates a base of suitable construction, having risingtherefrom uprights 2, supporting a top frame 3. Over a portion of thefront of the machine and attached to the uprights 2is a supporting-plate4, and in connection with both sets of. uprights at the front and rearof the machine are transverse rests 5 and 6, which carry rollers 7,engaging the opposite flanged ends 8 of a cylinder 9. The said rest 6 isarranged lower than the front rest 5, and the rollers 7 have rotatablebearing in connection with said rests adjacent to their outer ends andare preferably conical in form to retain the flanged ends 8 of thecylinder 9 in connection therewith and against longitudinal. movement.On the front end of the cylinder is a gear-rim 10, which meshes with anadjacentlysituated pinion 11, mounted on the end of a power-shaft 12,having an operating-crank 13 secured thereto and located on the outerside of the supporting-plate 4. The said power-shaft 12 extends throughthe frame of the machine at an angle of inclination and carries on therear end thereof a gear-Wheel 14, which is in mesh with a. smaller gear-Wheel 16 on the shaft 17. On the rear end of the said shaft is abelt-Wheel 18, of larger dimension than the wheel 16, which is engagedby a belt 19,which also surrounds a lower belt- Wheel 20 on a shaft 21,extending into a fancasing 22, upon which a fan of suitable constructionis mounted. By operating the crank 13 the cylinder 9 is rotated and alsothe fan in the casing 22. The said cylinder 9 has an outer metallicsurrounding jacket, on. the interior of which are secured longitudinalmetallie plates 23, having perforations regularly arranged therein andremovably secured by bolts 24, which pass through the same and the saidjacket. The said plates 23 may be of any number, but entirely surroundthe interior of the cylinder,and are held down closely against thecurved surface thereof and are prevented from buckling or becomingmisshapen through the operation of the cylinder or from other causes.The said plates do not extend entirely from end to end of the cylinder,and the openings therein are closely arranged and of any desired size,but of such dimension as to receive small grains, such as cockle andbroken wheat or other material, which may be placed within the separatorand cleaner. WVithin the said cylinder is adjustably mounted a trough25, having a supporting-bar 26, attached to the bottom thereof and oneof the ends extended through the supporting-plate 4. The opposite end ofthe said bar 26 extends through a rear support 27, and the said ends ofthe bar are each engaged by heads 28, having slots 29 therein, throughwhich pass adjusting-screwshavingthumb-nuts 30. The heads 28 permit thebar and the trough carried thereby to be adjusted laterally in thecylinder, so as to be drawn closely against one side of the interiorportion of the said cylinder, as may be desired. The rear end of thecylinder communicates with a chute 31, arranged over a box or receptacle32, resting on the base 1, and extending at right angles from the saidchute isa trunk 33 of the fan-casing 22. The said chuteis arranged inthe form of a hopper, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3, and at the pointwhere the trunk 33 engages therewith the adjacent wall is overhung, asat 34, to prevent the grain passing through the chute dropping on thelower wall of said trunk.

The front lower portion of the cylinder has a deflector 35 extendingthereinto, which is located at the lower end of a front chute 36, andcommunicating with the said front chute is a shoe carrying a top screen35, with which a feed-hopper 36 has communication. The shoe is formedwith opposite sides and carries a perforate plate 35, as clearly shownby Fig. 2, and a laterally-projecting trough 37. A guard-strip 38extends diagonally across the front of said top screen 35 and iscontinued out over the trough 37, the latter communicating with thescreen through an opening 39 in one side. The upper end of the shoe issupported on a cross-strip 40, and removably attached to the bottomthereof is a bottom plate 46, carrying a fine screen 41, which is heldto the shoe by a connecting-bolt and thumb-nut 42 and at its lower endis provided with a delivery-board 44, terminating at the transverse slot45, which is located over the upper end of the chute 36. The bottomplate 46 has a metallic trough 47 projecting laterally from one endthereof, the said trough be ing arranged at an angle of inclination andcommunicating with a chute 48, leading to a box or receptacle 49. To thefront end of the shoe a leather thong 50 is connected and depends froman upper part of the frame, and extending across the top of the cylinderat the front end thereof is a knocker 51, consisting of a shank52,pivotally mounted on one side of the frame and havinga curved extension53, with an outer nose '54 of rounded form, and which normally restsupon the rimgear 10 and is Vertically moved or reciprocated thereby. Themovement of the said arm is imparted to the under side of the screen 41and to the entire shoe by theextension 53, and at the point where thelatter strikes the under side of the frame of the screen 41 a rubberbuifer or cushion is located to secure a noiseless operation, as well asprevent wear by contact of the parts. The

curved formation of the extension 53 permits un retarded movement of therim-gear 10 and the cylinder, and at the same time of itself hasvertical movement to vibrate or shake the shoe. The screen 35 ispreferably continuous with the front part of the shoe, which has adelivery-board 44 and a cross-slot 45 therein, and the frame carryingthe wiregauze 43 has the front end beveled and abuts against a similarshoulder on the deliveryboard 44. By this means the said screen 43 canbe replaced at any time by another of a different mesh.

In operation the grain to be separated and cleaned is run into thehopper 36 and from thence strikes the screen 35 which separates thechaff from the grain, the latter passing through said screen to thescreen 41. The chaff from the said screen 35 passes out through thetrough 37 and is deposited at one side of the machine or may be conveyedfrom said trough by suitable devices commonly employed in the art. Thegrain which falls upon the screen 41 is again separated, and the smallergrain passes through the said screen into the laterally-projectingtrough 47 and thence into the chute 48 and to the box or receptacle 49.The larger grain falls over the delivery-board 44 and through thecross-slot 45 into the chute 36 and from thence is carried by thedeflector 35 into the bottom portion of the front end of the cylinder 9.The rotation of the latter, if wheat is being separated and cleaned,raises the cockle and broken grains of wheat and deposits them in thetrough 25, While at the same time the perfect grains of wheat areshifted or gravitate towards the lower end of said cylinder and passinto the chute 31 and from thence into the box or receptacle 32. The fanin the casing 22 operates to draw the air gradually through the bottomof the chute 31, and by this means dirt or other 'matter carried by thewheat is separated therefrom and drawn through the trunk To regulate thefan, a gate 56 is mounted in the outer end of the said trunk 33 and isoperated by an exterior handle or analogous device 57. This gatecontrols the suction of the fan and prevents too stronga drawing actionon the grain passing through the chute 34. The perforate plate-sectionsin the cylinder 9 may be replaced by others when desired, and theopenings therein will be proportioned corresponding to the grainoperated upon-that is, if it is desired that a certain grain passthrough the cylinder the openings will be smaller than the said grains.The trough 25 will be relieved of its contents from time to time, andthe dimensions of the device may be varied. Also, suitable power may beapplied to the drive-shaft 12 for operating the a chute having adeflector leading from shoe to the interior of the cylinder, a rim-gearconnected with the upper end of the cylinder, and a kn'ocker having anose impinging the rimgear arranged below the shoe to impart motion tosaid shoe, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signedthis specification in the preseneeoftwo subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT XV. WALKER. Witnesses:

E. H. BOND, EDWD. B. FOX.

